The Masked Shinigami
by Lilian Violet
Summary: A Masked Shinigami, Byakuya, who wins the heart of the Seireitei princess, Rukia, and vows to kill the ruler of the Seireitei, Aizen, and put an end to his deadly reign. On HIATUS!
1. The Masked Shinigami

**Hello**_** my beloved readers! It's me Lilian Violet! It has come to my attention that I have been feeling really bad about not updating my stories a lot sooner because of my college life. So, in order to make up for my absences I've come to the conclusion that I should do something to make it up to all of you. And so I've decided to type a new Byakuya/Rukia fanfiction story known as the "Masked Shinigami." A strong handsome masked Shinigami (Byakuya) who steals the heart of the Seireitei princess (Rukia.) This is a very unique story because Rukia is the one who is royalty, and Byakuya lives as a commoner hero. However, no matter how you look at it, it will all come together to make one big adventurous story of romance, passion, and an action that glues it all together. Ok, thats enough talking on my behalf...it is now time to get to the story. Enjoy! :)**_

_**Note: Remember I don't own Bleach, and probably will get the characters profile and actions completely wrong, but it will all work out in my story. On top of that some of my character couples may not be in your favor, but you'll have to trust me when I say that they'll work out in my fanfiction story. **_

** O-}-The Masked Shinigami -{-O**

**Chapter 1: The Seireitei's Masked Hero**

In the land of Seireitei there lies a story about a mysterious figure known as, "The Masked Shinigami." No one in the Seireitei knows of the Masked Shinigami's true identity, but there has been rumors about him spread throughout the Seireitei. The Masked Shinigami was known to be the best swordsman in all Seireitei, and when he did fight with a sword it was truly a sight of elegance and grace. But if his swordsmanship wasn't a sight of elegance and grace the Masked Shinigami's handsomeness made up for it, since he is said to be so handsome that every female who came across his beauty would be completely petrified with a dreamy look on their face…and then they found themselves being whisked away by the handsome stranger. Even though many have witnessed his many talents the Masked Shinigami always hid his true identity behind a black mask, hence, he got his name, "The Masked Shinigami."

No one in the Seireitei knew of the Masked Shinigami's identity or where he came from, but all the common people living in the poorer part of the Seireitei came to know him as a true hero. Whenever there was trouble brewing in the commoners part of town the Masked Shinigami was always there to help them in their hour of need. Whether it was fighting off thieves, helping the commoners round up their run away farm animals, or helping them gather food when their stocks supply becomes scarce.

Everyone in the Seireitei came to love their Masked Shinigami hero for all his good deeds, but there was only one solitary person in the Seireitei who came to despise the masked hero's heroics.

The ruler of the Seireitei was a man named Sosuke Aizen, and he was as cruel hearted as he was greedy and selfish. Everyone in the Seireitei who knew of Aizen's reign came to fear him, even his servants in the palace came to cower in his presence.

The reason Aizen came to hate the Masked Shinigami happened a long time ago in the past, but the envious scars that were left behind still remained deep in Aizen's memory.

_Flashback_

_The day started like any other day in the Seireitei, and Aizen was making his usual rounds around the commoners village. Even though Aizen disliked checking up on the "outcasts" as he liked to call them, it was important to keep an eye on them since he needed the common folk to do his dirty work for him, mainly; growing and cooking his food, washing and sewing his clothing, and other unforgivable tasks in which he showed no mercy to those who do the work for him. _

_Suddenly, as Aizen continued his rounds there were a couple of shrieks and screams in the distance, and as he looked to see what the commotion was all about he could see a few commoners running for their lives as a giant cattle stampede came charging towards them. _

_Aizen was about to command the commoners to stand their ground and handle their cattle properly, but his command came to a halt as he spotted a figure wearing a mask and dressed in black facing the charging cattle with no hesitation or fear. _

_The masked figure just stood his ground as the cattle came charging towards him, but as soon as he swung his sword in a beautiful swords dance...the cattle instantly stopped in their tracks. _

_After stopping the cattle stampede and receiving an applause from the commoners, Aizen became completely impressed and amazed at the mysterious figure's courage, bravery, and swordsmanship. Aizen could tell just by looking at the way the masked figure handled his blade that his handling of a sword fight could top even his best swordsman at the palace. After witnessing the mysterious masked figure's display of mastery with a sword, Aizen knew that he had to have the masked figure fight for him. _

_"Your truly a man of talents," Aizen told the masked figure as he turned to face the cruel hearted man of royalty, "A man with talents such as yours must come with the highest form of respect, since the lower class seem to accept you."_

_As he said that Aizen glared at the commoners who cowered in fear, but the mysterious masked hero said to him with a calm and serious expression, "It is because of these "lower class" people as you call them, that I am willing to fight any obstacle that causes them harm." _

_Aizen chuckled and told the masked figure, "Of course, I guess it is a bothersome yet necessary task to protect such weak pathetic outcasts." _

_As something clicked in the masked hero's very being from the unforgivable statement Aizen said, he said to him with a cold aura in his misty grey eyes, "Yes, and yet you shouldn't underestimate such people; especially when you come to the point of realizing that their lives are worth protecting, more then your cold hearted life."_

_Aizen gave the masked figure a deady glare and asked him in a deep vemonous voice, "I beg your pardon, but do you know who I am?" _

_The masked hero didn't flinch when he sensed Aizen's cold aura and told him with an equally deadly stare, "You may be the ruler of the Seireitei, but that doesn't excuse you for being a cold hearted man with a heart filled with darkness."_

_The blood in his veins continued to boil as Aizen bellowed at the mysterious masked figure, "You dare try to take away my pride."_

_The masked hero pointed his finger at Aizen and yelled back to him, "That doesn't compare with you taking the lives and happiness from the very people who render to your every whim, and if someone such as you takes away so much more then that; then I can't say for certain that you even have enough pride within you to be taken away." _

_Aizen had enough of the masked figures insults as he angrily commanded to his guards, "Kill that bastard." _

_Aizen's guards charged at the masked hero as he expertly brought out his sword and started to fight off every single man who dare tried to challenge him. One by one Aizen's men fell to the power of the Masked Shinigami's blade, and with one final swipe of his sword the masked figure escaped. _

_After witnessing the Masked Shinigami easily deal away with his guards and finally escape, Aizen clutched his fists tightly and furiously said under his breath while gritting his teeth, "I will not be humiliated by some outcast; I WILL KILL THAT MASKED SHINIGAMI!" _

_End of Flashback _

Leaving the Seireitei we come to the Karakura Forest, where a quaint little place is found surrounded by tall trees. The place holds nothing, but three huts, which were handmade by those who live there, in this case; the Masked Shinigami, a man with red hair, and another man with short spiky orange hair.

"Hey Ichigo," the man with red hair asked the orange haired man as he carried a bunch of firewood over his shoulder, "Have you seen Byakuya lately?"

"I was hoping you knew Renji," Ichigo told the red haired man as he placed a basket of vegetables on the ground so he could stretch his arms, "Cause I haven't seen Byakuya either."

Renji groaned in annoyance and said to Ichigo as he set the firewood in their outside stoned fireplace, "Well that's just great, while we do all the chores Byakuya is out there doing who knows what."

"Come on Renji," Ichigo told Renji as he took out a huge black pot from his hut, "You know better than anyone else that Byakuya has a huge grudge against the Seireitei after what they did to him."

How could Renji forget that horrible day, after all it was the day in which he and Byakuya lost their families. Byakuya was born into the royal Kuchiki family, and Renji was born into the family which served the Kuchiki's for many generations. Even though they were born into different family classes, Byakuya and Renji became good friends as they grew together as royalty and loyal servant. Unfortunately during Aizen's reign, the cruel hearted king decided to do away with the other fellow kingdom's so that his kingdom can stand alone, and be the most powerful kingdom to ever reign over the others. By his own bloody hands, Aizen wiped out all the neighboring royalties one after another; destroying Byakuya's kingdom and family, including Renji's family. With the knowledge of Aizen's destruction of royalties, Byakuya and Renji went into hiding in the Karakura Forest in hopes that one day; they can get their revenge on the dark hearted ruler of the Seireitei.

"I will live to see the day when the ruler of the Seireitei falls into the darkness in wence he came," Renji whispered under his breath angrily as he began to tremble with anticipation to seek and destroy the life of Aizen.

Suddenly, the Masked Shinigami appeared before Renji and Ichigo, and said as he began to take off his black mask, "It looks like I made it in time for dinner."

"You've been gone all morning," Ichigo yelled at the Masked Shinigami as he pointed his peeling knife at him, "And all you can say is that you made it in time for dinner."

"So where have you been," Renji asked the Masked Shinigami as he stared at the mysterious figure suspiciously, "Byakuya?"

When the Masked Shinigami removed his mask, the face behind it was revealed to be the face of a handsome young man with long black hair and beautiful misty grey eyes.

"I've been," Byakuya quietly said to Renji and Ichigo as he placed a clutched hand in his black robe pocket, "Around," and with that statement he slowly walked to his hut, opened his door, and then slid it closed as he went inside.

Renji and Ichigo curiously watched as Byakuya went inside his hut, and Ichigo asked Renji as he stopped peeling the potato in his hand, "What was that all about?"

Renji knew Byakuya more than anyone else, and he too felt like something was wrong with his childhood friend; and he needed to find out what it was, but not at that moment when he finally came home safe and sound.

Inside his hut, Byakuya laid down on his bed, closed his eyes, sighed, and finally found it safe to take out the thing that he was clutching inside his robe pocket. Byakuya slowly took out the item, and then he stared longingly at the purple jeweled ring he held in his hand.

Ever since that day when he confronted Aizen, Byakuya carried the purple jeweled ring inside his pocket. Byakuya didn't know why he carried the ring around, especially when he fought the enemy, but he sometimes believed that the small piece of jewlery was like his good luck charm.

Byakuya wasn't such a foolish man to believe in such silly things like luck..._but after receiving the purple jeweled ring from her, maybe there was such a thing as good luck or at least a long awaited fate that brought them together._

_Flashback_

_After escaping Aizen's guards, Byakuya hid himself behind a rather large decorated carriage wondering what his next move was going to be. _

_As he was about to move from his hiding spot Byakuya heard a faint, but pleasant little giggle coming from inside the carriage._

_Even though he couldn't see inside the carriage completely, Byakuya peeked inside anyway, until his grey eyes were met by a pair of sparkling violet colored eyes. _

_Byakuya didn't understand why, but those eyes captivated and captured him somehow, and he couldn't keep his eyes off them. _

_Even though the violet eyes were visible to him, Byakuya couldn't see the owner of those beautiful eyes, the only thing he could make out was that they belonged to a female. _

_Byakuya was about to get a closer look at the lovely eyed female in the carriage, until Aizen's voice called out, "Bring that carriage along; we're going back to the Seireitei palace."_

_Before he could take a peek at his fair maiden, Byakuya watched as the carriage was taken back to the Seireitei palace, but before it was completely out of sight he caught something shiny falling out of the carriage window. _

_Byakuya rushed to the shiny object and found that it was a purple jeweled ring, and he knew for certain that it was from his mysterious mistress that was within the carriage._

_End of Flashback _

Why do I still carry this purple ring? Why do I dream of those beautiful violet colored eyes? Why do I yearn for my mysterious maiden whose eyes haunt me in the pleasurest of ways? Byakuya still doesn't have an answer for either of these questions, but one thing he is certain of..._he vowed to find out who his mysterious violet eyed beauty is. _

**_That's chapter 1 of the Masked Shinigami. This is my gift to you readers for my inconvient late updates, but college is college, I have to work as best as I can. Yet I've still managed to write a new fanfiction story for you guys so I hope its to your interest. So now you know all about Byakuya's character in this fanfiction, the mysterious "Masked Shinigami" who vows to kill Aizen for what his reign took from him and find out who this mysterious maiden is whose violet eyes captivated his heart. Who is Byakuya's mysterious new love interest? Will Byakuya put an end to Aizen's deadly reign? Continue to read "The Masked Shinigami" and I promise to make it worth your while, or at least try to make it enjoyable for my readers. :D_**


	2. The Princess with the Dark Past

_**Hello**** my beloved readers! It's me, Lilian Violet! :D I'm happy to say that my summer college term is over, and I passed with flying colors. Now I can update my stories a little earlier now. Sorry it took me so long to update this story, but you know what they say; absense leads to thinking about more ideas, and that's exactly what I've been doing. Now that we got through Byakuya's background as the heroic Masked Shinigami, its now time to get to know Rukia's background. Rukia's cruel past, the dark secrets, and a family she just wants to run away from, but knows there is no escape. However, no matter how you look at it, it will all come together to make one big adventurous story of romance, passion, and an action that glues it all together. Ok, that's enough talking on my behalf...it is now time to get to the story "The Masked Shinigami." Enjoy! :)**_

_**Note: Remember I don't own Bleach, and probably will get the characters profile and actions completely wrong, but it will all work out in my story. On top of that some of my character couples may not be in your favor, but you'll have to trust me when I say that they'll work out in my fanfiction story. **_

** O-}-The Masked Shinigami -{-O**

**Chapter 2: The Seireitei Princess with the Dark Past**

_Those beautiful grey eyes that filled her heart with a heavenly warmth. _

_As she stared into those grey irises, she felt like she was drowning into their mysterious beauty. _

_But like most of her dreams...it ended up being devoured by a wave of fire. _

Back at the Seireitei palace, a young petite woman with short raven black hair and violet colored eyes cried out in her sleep.

As she rubbed her eyes, the woman couldn't help but tremble from the nightmare she had as she slept; but it didn't go unnoticed since she's always had endless amounts of nightmares each night.

When the violet eyed woman began to wake up from her dark nightmarish slumber, a voice from outside her bedroom door called out, "Princess Rukia, are you awake?"

"Almost," mumbled Rukia as she got up from her enormous queen sized bed, walked to her wardrobe, took out a light purple colored robe, and then walked out onto her balcony.

The sun was barely rising from the sky the moment Rukia stepped onto the balcony, and as she held onto the railing she couldn't help but smile as she watched the suns rays shine on the Seireitei with its radiant light.

Her balcony was the only place where Rukia can form a true smile, instead of those fake smiles she has to put on every time she leaves the comfort of her bedroom. The only other time Rukia formed a true jovial smile..._was when she met him_.

Back when she sat in that suffocating clustered carriage, Rukia found herself face to face with a couple of beautiful grey eyes. Even though Rukia couldn't see the owner of those intoxicating eyes due to the mask, she knew they belonged to a male. Despite not knowing who the grey eyed man was, as soon as Rukia's violet eyes met with those pair of grey eyes her heart became captivated with a warmth that overwhelmed her in the most heavenly of ways. So, hoping that one day she might get a chance to meet her mysterious stranger; Rukia purposely tossed out her favorite purple jeweled ring in order to identify her masked hero the next time they fatefully meet again.

That day of meeting the masked hero who took her breath away was truly worth her while, and Rukia hoped with all her heart that someday the same masked hero she encountered will come and take her away from the Seireitei's palace.

The reason Rukia wanted to leave the Seireitei was all because of one solitary person..._Aizen_. Rukia might have been a child back then, but the painful emotional scars made her remember every detail of that tragic day.

Rukia was originally from a neighboring kingdom, ruling as a princess with her two kind hearted parents; whom everyone respected and loved. However, as soon as Aizen reigned as king from another neighboring kingdom, his army conquered and destroyed every other kingdom..._including Rukia's_. When Aizen set his sights on demolishing Rukia's kingdom, he mercilessly murdered everyone who dared to stand up to him; including her mother and father, and if they were spared he would take them as prisoners to work at his palace as slaves, he destroyed everything from buildings to her palace, and instead of killing her like he did her parents and villagers..._Aizen kidnapped Rukia, so he could raise her as his own daughter_.

After Aizen took everything away from her, all Rukia wanted to do was run far away from his bloody reign of a kingdom. But after witnessing so many deaths in the past, the traumatic event made Rukia sadly admit that she couldn't escape Aizen's grasp even if she tried; and try she did, many times she's escaped, and many times she's failed.

Why did a heartless man like Aizen spare her, Rukia would often ask herself? Rukia was no different than that of her parents or villagers from her previous kingdom, royalty or not everyone in her kingdom was treated equally; with kindness, respect, and love. What purpose did Aizen have that he would spare a life such as Rukia?

Whatever the reason, it was obvious that Aizen was the sole cause of Rukia's nightmares; and ever since that day of having her kingdom destroyed, her parents and villagers killed, and forced into being the adopted daughter of the Seireitei's most deadliest man, Rukia doubted that her nightmares would ever stop haunting her at night.

"You seem to be lost in thought," a cold, yet pleasant voice said to Rukia, as she began to hear footsteps stepping out onto her balcony.

Rukia turned her attention to the owner of the voice, and said to him with a friendly smile, "Good morning, Ulquiorra."

A slender, yet fairly muscular man with short messy black hair, pale white skin, and green eyes, approached Rukia, wearing a white jacket held together with a black sash and a white hakama.

"How are you doing this morning my dear friend," Rukia asked Ulquiorra with a smile?

Ulquiorra was one of Aizen's finest knights at the Seireitei palace, and like Aizen he was a cold heartless man who striked fear into everyone's eyes; and when Rukia came to live at the Seireitei palace as Aizen's daughter, his coldness remained as he was instructed to be her personal guard. However, when Rukia tried to make her first escape from the Seireitei; Ulquiorra was sent, by Aizen, to look for the run away princess. At first, Ulquiorra was furious to be the one to babysit the young little princess, and searching for her when she ran away didn't seem to calm his nerves either..._but everything changed during that one night_. Rukia had escaped from the Seireitei palace for the eighth time, and as usual, Ulquiorra had to go and search the entire Seireitei for her. The morning turned to the afternoon and the afternoon turned to night, until Ulquiorra finally found Rukia; who had been kneeling in front of a large beautiful lake with the middle of the lake holding a radiant reflection of the moon.

Ulquiorra was about to immediately seize the young princess and take her back to the Seireitei palace, until he heard a soothing little prayer coming from Rukia's mouth.

"Oh great ancestors, I pray that you send an angel from your kingdom to come and take me away from Aizen," prayed Rukia as she closed her eyes and tightly cupped her hands together, "I know it's impossible to ask for much, but I'm begging from the bottom of my heart; all I ask is for you to send a savior to fetch me and take me to a better kingdom."

That one prayer which was filled with so much hope, flicked a certain light in Ulquiorra's heart; and for the first time in years, Ulquiorra finally knew what hope can bestow upon a person who seeks for a certain love she knew she was never going to find at the Seireitei palace. For the first time, Ulquiorra felt the little Seireitei princess's pain and sorrow.

When Ulquiorra made himself known to Rukia she fearly tensed at his presence, knowing he'll return her to the Seireitei palace; where an extremely furious Aizen is sure to grant her a serious punishment.

However, instead of taking her to the Seireitei palace; Ulquiorra, also for the first time, smiled a honest friendly smile at Rukia and asked her, "Would you like to stay here a little while longer before going back to the Seireitei?"

Surprised and taken back from Ulquiorra's offer, Rukia slowly nodded her head while Ulquiorra sat down besides her; and as the two talked, laughed, and enjoyed the beautiful view..._the Seireitei princess and guard became close_ friends.

_At least one good thing came out of being enslaved by Aizen in this miserable kingdom_, thought Rukia as she embraced Ulquiorra in a tight warm hug.

As the two friends looked out into the Seireitei on the balcony, Ulquiorra told Rukia as he cleared his throat, "Princess Rukia, in a few hours Master Aizen will want to meet with your audience."

Rukia groaned in annoyance at the meeting she'll have to attend with Aizen, but she quickly changed to a laugh and said to Ulquiorra, "How many times do I have to tell you Ulquiorra, since we are friends you don't have be so formal with me; you can simply call me Rukia."

Ulquiorra slightly blushed a little, but went back to his normal, calm, and serious composure as he explained to Rukia, "Master Aizen expects you to arrive at the main hall looking your best, since he is planning something that is beyond his usual intentions."

Rukia rolled her eyes and sarcastically asked Ulquiorra as she continued to gaze at the Seireitei's radiant view, "What does the King of Hell want to do this time?"

Ulquiorra rubbed the back of his neck and told Rukia with an awkward smirk on his face, "Uh, Aizen is planning to have a...party."

Leaving the view of the Seireitei to quickly look at Ulquiorra, Rukia raised her eyebrow and repeated in a confused voice, "_A party?_"

Ulquirra nodded his head slowly and told Rukia as he began to head to the main hall himself, "We will await your arrive the moment you finish making yourself...presentable."

After Ulquiorra left, Rukia sighed and asked herself while grumpily making her way back to her wardrobe, "What is Aizen's true intention that he'd stoop to the level of planning a measly little party?"

**_That's chapter 2 of the Masked Shinigami. Here it is, the new update on "The Masked Shinigami," and many more updates to come now that my summer term is over. So, now that you've got to know Byakuya and his background; you now know of Rukia's background with all her dark memories, aside from the good fortune of being friends with one of Aizen's guards, Ulquiorra. Anyway, what is the deal with this 'party' Aizen is about to have? How does it connect with Rukia? Or even worse, can this party be connected with Aizen's long time hated enemy; Byakuya 'The Masked Shinigami' himself? If so, what are Aizen's real plans? In order to find out, continue to read "The Masked Shinigami" and I promise to make it worth your while, or at least try to make it enjoyable for you, my readers. :D_**


	3. The Ten Mysterious Guests

_**Hello**** my beloved readers! It's me, Lilian Violet! :D :( Man, you'd think after finishing my college summer school term that I would be free to update sooner; yet there's still so much work to be done. Anyway, I have no time to complain; cause now it's time for another updated chapter. So, now that you know about Rukia's dark background; it's now time for Aizen's...party? Why would a cruel bloodthirsty man, like Aizen, hold a party? Does he actually intend to have a normal party or is this some ruse to capture the attention of a certain masked hero? If so, what is Aizen truly planning on doing? Who will Aizen invite to his "party?" And are they somehow apart of his real intentional plan? And will Byakuya, (The Masked Shinigami) fall for such a plan? No matter how you look at it, it will all come together to make one big adventurous story of romance, passion, and an action that glues it all together. Ok, that's enough talking on my behalf...it is now time to get to the story "The Masked Shinigami." Enjoy! :)**_

_**Note: Remember I don't own Bleach, and probably will get the characters profile and actions completely wrong, but it will all work out in my story. On top of that some of my character couples may not be in your favor, but you'll have to trust me when I say that they'll work out in my fanfiction story. **_

**O-}-The Masked Shinigami -{-O**

**Chapter 3: The Ten Mysterious Guests**

_Ulquiorra rubbed the back of his neck and told Rukia with an awkward smirk on his face, "Uh, Aizen is planning to have a...party."_

_Leaving the view of the Seireitei to quickly look at Ulquiorra, Rukia raised her eyebrow and repeated in a confused voice, "A party?"_

_Ulquirra nodded his head slowly and told Rukia as he began to head to the main hall himself, "We will await your arrival the moment you finish making yourself...presentable."_

_After Ulquiorra left, Rukia sighed and asked herself while grumpily making her way back to her wardrobe, "What is Aizen's true intention that he'd stoop to the level of planning a measly little party?"_

* * *

In the Seireitei kingdom's "Throne Room," Aizen was waiting patiently for Rukia's arrival, with a cup of red wine in one hand and propping his face up with the other.

As Aizen took a sip of his bloody red wine, there came a knock on the "Throne Room," doors.

"Enter," Aizen commanded, and soon the doors opened to reveal two people; Ulquiorra and Rukia, who was dressed in a lovely light purple kimono with golden trims, decorated with cherry blossom petals, and tied together with a golden sash.

"Lord Aizen," said Ulquiorra softly, as he bowed before Aizen, "Lady Rukia is fully prepared to make your aquaintance."

Rukia walked up to stand and bow before Aizen, and told him while trying not to put hatred or disgust in her voice, "F-f-father, it's my pleasure to meet with you."

Ever since he robbed her of her home, parents, and freedom; Rukia was forced to call Aizen her "father," and every time she was present in front of him she would always have to put on a fake smile and talk to him in an appropriate manner.

"Still tired are we," Aizen asked Rukia while trying to surpass the anger in his system after hearing Rukia mumble the name "father." And after sparing her life all those years ago to be raised as his daughter, Aizen would think Rukia would have the decency to at least call him "father," without mumbling, hesitating, or not saying a word at all?

"Not at all, father, I'm just-," Rukia tried to explain to Aizen, but knowing how cold tempered he was she knew she had to come up with a pretty good excuse, "I'm just excited about this party you're planning."

While Aizen gazed at Rukia in suspicion, Rukia turned to Ulquiorra; who smiled at her for her decent answer, even though he knew she was faking the entire time.

"Fair enough," came Aizen's voice as Rukia turned her attention back to him as he asked her, "But what is it about this party that interests you?"

_I couldn't care less about your little hell bound get_ _togethers_, thought Rukia angrily, but she smiled her usual fake smiles at Aizen and told him, "To be honest, this is the first annual party we will be spending together," she added while trying not to throw up, "As father and daugter that is."

Aizen chuckled as he said to Rukia, "Aside from your birthday celebrations, I agree, this is the first annual party we will be attending as father and daughter."

Rukia almost scoffed at Aizen's mention of her "birthday celebrations," when all her birthday's were celebrated in the same way; sorrowful and alone (well, until Ulquiorra became her trusted friend.)

Before Ulquiorra came into her life, Rukia spent her birthday's in her room; lying in her bed while crying tears of sadness at the realization that all her birthday's from that day forth will be celebrated...without her real parents. Of course Aizen would appear in her bedroom to give her a cold meaningless "Happy birthday," and then leave, but that didn't come close to hearing those words from the two people she wanted to hear it from the most...her mother and father. However, after befriending Ulquiorra, Rukia became jovial when it was her birthday; because she and Ulquiorra had their own way of celebrating it. When Rukia woke on the day of her birthday (and after receiving Aizen's useless birthday wishes,) Ulquiorra would entering her room with a small, yet delicious, slice of cake covered in chocolate icing; and once he cut the cake in half, Ulquiorra would always give Rukia the bigger half. The rest of her birthday was celebrated with a visit to the Seireitei grounds, Rukia and Ulquiorra would often visit the lake in which they became the best of friends; they would stay there until the moon rose into the sky and reflected off the lake ever so beautifully...then came her most memorable birthday of all.

On her 20th birthday, Rukia woke up to receive the same birthday routine; but instead of going to the Seireitei grounds or the lake, Ulquiorra entered Rukia's bedroom with a special gift for her. Ulquiorra sat across from Rukia as she sat up in bed, he pulled out a small gift wrapped in silver wrapping paper topped off with a purple ribbon. Rukia excitedly took the present from Ulquiorra and began to unwrap it, and as soon as she open the gift she gasped...inside was a beautiful silver ring with a purple jewel in the middle surrounded by tiny diamonds.

As Ulquiorra watched Rukia gaze at the purple ring with an overjoyed expression, he explained to her with a smile, "I've been saving a lot of money to get this ring for you."

Thank you, Ulquiorra," Rukia told Ulquiorra as she embraced him in a tight loving hug, "I absolutely love my gift."

Ulquiorra laughed and said to Rukia, "I'm glad you love the ring, but there's a reason why I bought it for you."

Ulquiorra explained to Rukia as he smiled at the purple ring that fitted perfectly around her finger, "The woman who sold me the ring told me that the ring was a symbol of love and friendship, when you give it to someone you care about...no matter how far away you are, you'll always find each other."

The origin of the ring was the reason why Rukia gave her gift to the masked stranger she recently met, and when she told Ulquiorra what she had done to his present she thought he would be furious with her; but he just smiled at her and said while placing his hands on her shoulders, "I'm not upset at all, it makes my heart soar knowing that there's another person in your life that you've come to...love." Rukia blushed every time she remembered Ulquiorra's teasing remark, but she really did hope that the ring lived up to its origin of finding her masked stranger again.

"Anyway," came Aizen's voice which snapped Rukia out of her thoughts, "The party will take places in one week, and since its a formal ball I expect to see you in your finest attire."

"Understood," Rukia said to Aizen as she bowed to him, _But I won't go to this party for your sake_, she turned her attention to Ulquiorra, who was smiling at her, _I'm going because the person who believes that there's another person out there for me is attending_.

"Fine," Aizen told Rukia as he waved a hand at her, "Now retreat for the time being, I need to speak with Ulquiorra for a moment."

Rukia looked anxiously at Ulquiorra, hoping that her dear friend wasn't in any kind of trouble, but he motioned her to leave; and after convincing her that he'll be ok, she left to her bedroom.

"Ulquiorra," Aizen asked Ulquiorra with a large evil grin, "My daughter is getting to be quite the young lady, is she not?"

Ulquiorra felt a cold shiver in his spine at the mentioning of Rukia, but he told Aizen, "Yes, my Lord."

"But as much as I try to teach her on how to be an appropriate woman," Aizen said to Ulquiorra with a sigh, "I get this feeling like she doesn't want anything to do with me."

_You have no idea_, Uluiorra thought with a silent chuckle, then he fakely told Aizen, "Master, if it wasn't for you, Rukia would've been lost in a cold cruel world surrounded by nothing but illusions."

Aizen smiled in triumph as he said to Ulquiorra, "Indeed, I try to do the best I can, its a heavy burden; but its a good thing I know how to handle these types of...situations."

At these words Ulquiorra became nervous and worried for Rukia's well being, hoping to change the subject, he asked Aizen, "So my Lord, about this party, shall I make any requests?"

Silence filled the air for a minor moment, until Aizen told Ulquiorra with a sly smile, "There is one."

Ulquiorra saw Aizen search inside his robes for something, and then he saw him take a stack of blood red colored letters out.

Aizen was about to hand Ulquiorra the letters, but he drew them back as he explained to Ulquiorra icily, "These invitations are for _ten special guests_ who must attend the party, if neither one appears or if I find that one out of the ten doesn't show..._I'll see to it that you receive a sufferable punishment_."

Ulquiorra felt a thick bulge get stuck in his throat, but he retained his calm and serious composure as he told Aizen with a bow, "I'll make sure these invitations are safely delivered."

"See to it that they are," Aizen said to Ulquiorra coldly as he roughly placed the letters into his hand, "And remember what's at stake here."

With one final bow, Ulquiorra tucked the letters under his arm and left to deliver them.

With Aizen left in the "Throne Room," alone, he evilly snickered and whispered under his breathe, "With those ten under my command, phase one of my plan is..._accomplished_."

**_That's chapter 3 of the Masked Shinigami. Here it is, the n_****_ew update on "The Masked Shinigami," and many _****_more updates to come. Anyway, what is the deal with this 'party' Aizen is about to have? How does it connect with Rukia? Or even worse, can this party be connected with Aizen's long time hated enemy; Byakuya 'The Masked Shinigami' himself? If so, what are Aizen's real plans? And who are these ten mysterious guests that have been invited? Why are they so important to Aizen's plan? In order to find out, continue to read "The Masked Shinigami" and I promise to make it worth your while, or at least try to make it enjoyable for you, my readers. :D_**


	4. The Mysterious Unwanted Masked Guest

_**Hello**** my beloved readers! It's me, Lilian Violet! :D It's here again the spring college term, and that can only means one thing; very, very, very late updates. But I'll find some way to manage...I always do. Anyway, now that Aizen's "party plans" are coming together, along with ten mysterious guests who are suppose to be attending, what is the sole purpose of throwing this party? What will Byakuya "The Masked Shinigami" think of this party? Better yet, what is he planning on doing once he catches wind of the party Aizen is planning? Will he risk his life to attend the party in order to kill Aizen right there and then? And if he does attend the party, will he come face to face with someone he met not so long ago; a certain special someone who gave her ring to him? No matter how you look at it, it will all come together to make one big adventurous story of romance, passion, and an action that glues it all together. Ok, that's enough talking on my behalf...it is now time to get to the story "The Masked Shinigami." Enjoy! :)**_

_**Note: Remember I don't own Bleach, and probably will get the characters profile and actions completely wrong, but it will all work out in my story. On top of that some of my character couples may not be in your favor, but you'll have to trust me when I say that they'll work out in my fanfiction story. **_

**O-}-The Masked Shinigami -{-O**

**Chapter 4: The Mysterious Unwanted Masked Guest**

_Ulquiorra saw Aizen search inside his robes for something, and then he saw him take a stack of blood red colored letters out._

_Aizen was about to hand Ulquiorra the letters, but he drew them back as he explained to Ulquiorra icily, "These invitations are for ten special guests who must attend the party, if neither one appears or if I find that one out of the ten doesn't show...I'll see to it that you receive a sufferable punishment."_

_Ulquiorra felt a thick bulge get stuck in his throat, but he retained his calm and serious composure as he told Aizen with a bow, "I'll make sure these invitations are safely delivered."_

_"See to it that they are," Aizen said to Ulquiorra coldly as he roughly placed the letters into his hand, "And remember what's at stake here."_

_With one final bow, Ulquiorra tucked the letters under his arm and left to deliver them._

_With Aizen left in the "Throne Room," alone, he evilly snickered and whispered under his breathe, "With those ten under my command, phase one of my plan is...accomplished."_

* * *

Word of Aizen's upcoming party spreaded fast around the Seireitei, everyone in the kingdom knew about the party...including a certain Masked Shinigami.

Back at their hidden place, Ichigo and Renji were plotting a plan to kill Aizen once and for all; but they would only follow in their plans if Byakuya led them.

During their dinner, Byakuya remained silent and calm as always; but Ichigo and Renji were hesitant on whether they should mention their plan to Byakuya or not.

Renji cleared his throat and decided that the best thing to do was try and talk Byakuya into attending the party in order to bring an end to Aizen's rein, so he told him as he sighed, "Well, as I was walking through the Seireitei to do some grocery shopping I kept hearing this rumor."

Catching onto Renji's idea of trying to convince Byakuya into attending Aizen's party, Ichigo smirked and asked Renji, "Really, what kind of a rumor?"

"Something about a cruel, evil hearted bastard that has the nerve of calling himself a king, and his intention of throwing an enormous party," Renji told Ichigo, and for his hopeful sake, Byakuya.

Byakuya just took a bite out of some bread, as Ichigo asked Renji while hoping that Byakuya was catching on, "Do you think other kingdom's from other lands might attend as well?"

Renji scoffed and said to Ichigo while crossing his arms over his chest, "If this so called 'king' has any people he can call his...friends."

"Man, is that the truth," Ichigo agreed as he crossed his arms over his chest while nodded his head.

What Renji and Ichigo didn't know was that Byakuya had finished his dinner, and was already heading to his hut to turn in for the night.

When they finally realized that Byakuya was gone, Renji and Ichigo dashed to his hut before he could go inside; and both of them told him with ashamed looks on their faces, "We're very sorry, Byakuya."

Byakuya stopped at the entrance to his hut, and asked Renji and Ichigo in a slow deep voice, "What is there to be sorry about?"

"Byakuya," Renji explained to Byakuya as he regain his composure, "Aizen is hosting a party tonight, and me and Ichigo want to attend...with you leading us."

Byakuya flinched at Renji's words, as Ichigo added, "We want to observe the activity in Aizen's domain, that way it'll increase our chances of overthrowing him...once and for all."

A cold silence came upon the three men for a couple of minutes, until Byakuya's cold emotionless voice spoke to Renji and Ichigo, "A person who seeks revenge mustn't attack in rage, you two should already know that by now."

Taken back by Byakuya's response, Renji and Ichigo pleaded with him, "B-b-but, Master Byakuya, Aizen was the man who-."

"Was the man that did what exactly," Byakuya angrily bellowed at Renji and Ichigo, "Destroyed my kingdom, killed my family, took everything I cherished and loved...need I go on?"

The sadness and guilty devoured Renji and Ichigo's hearts as they made Byakuya relive such horrible, terrible, and unbearable moments; but deep down...they knew Byakuya wanted revenge on Aizen as much as they did.

"We understand how you're feeling," Renji told Byakuya as he sadly frowned as he remembered their tragic past, "Please don't carry the burden all by yourself, especially when you know that you're not the only person who's suffered."

All this talk about revenge, brought Ichigo back to his own tragic and painful experience.

_Flashback_

_Ichigo didn't grow up in the Kuchiki family along with Byakuya and Renji, in fact, he grew up in the Seireitei with his father, Isshin, and mother, Masaki. Ichigo, Isshin, and Masaki were a simple family that worked in the Seireitei village's clinic; where they sold various medicines that were made from the healing herbs that they grew in their family's field. Unfortunately, Aizen started to tax the villagers in the Seireitei; and if nobody paid their taxes...they would be punished. One dark day, as Ichigo was preparing to go out and pick some herbs; his mother Masaki ran into his bedroom, and said to him in a panicky voice, "My dearest son, I want you to hide in the deepest part of the field; and whatever you see or hear...don't come out." Ichigo desperately wanted to know why his mother was asking him to do such a thing, but she looked so terrified and scared at that moment that he didn't want to disappoint her any further, so he did exactly what he was told; he ran out of the house and into the deepest part of the field...without knowing of the horrific event that would happen next._

_Nighttime soon blanketed the sky, and Ichigo soon felt an uneasy fear clutching his heart; he'd been hiding in the field for hours, so why weren't his mother and father coming for him? With the fear still consuming his heart, Ichigo came out from hiding; and headed towards his house...where he would never be the same again. As soon as Ichigo entered his house he was shocked to see that all the furniture was knocked over, glass was shattered, and the most horrifying sight of all...was of his dead parents lying in a pool of blood. Ichigo slowly walked towards the bodies of his dead parents, fell to his knees, and sobbed uncontrollably; wondering who would murder his parents and why it had to be an innocent couple like them. _

_All of a sudden, two people appeared behind Ichigo; and one of them explained to him in a deep voice, "I'm deeply sorry for your loss, me and my friend witnessed the whole tragic thing."_

_Ichigo's eyes widened as he slowly looked up to see that he wasn't alone; there were two boys standing within the shadows, but once the moonlight shined on them, Ichigo could see the two boys more clearly. _

_One of the boys was tall, with hair as dark as the night sky which was held in a high ponytail, he had grey eyes which turned misty in the shadows, and his pale skin seemed to shine in the moonlight. The other boy was shorter, with crimson red hair that was also tied in a high ponytail, brown eyes, and tattoos that covered his upper body. _

_"Unfortunately, we arrived too late to save your parents," the crimson haired boy told Ichigo with a melancholy frown, "By the time me and Master Byakuya arrived, Aizen's men had already-." _

_"Wait are you saying that this was Aizen's doing," Ichigo asked the crimson haired boy and the black haired boy (which he assumed was Byakuya?)_

_Byakuya nodded his head, and explained to Ichigo in a soft deep voice, "Renji went ahead of me when we were planning to ambush Aizen's men, so he heard everything," at this point, Ichigo knew that the other boy was Renji, "Your parents were left with a difficult decision by Aizen's men; since the taxes were raised to an insane amount, they either had to sell their home to pay off their debt...or perish." _

_As Ichigo was taking all of this in, Renji said to Ichigo with an ashamed expression on his face, "When I heard your parents refusing the offer of selling their home, I knew they wouldn't stand a chance against Aizen's men; so I went to fetch Byakuya, knowing that I couldn't beat them all by myself...but when we came back to confront Aizen's men, your parents were already gone." _

_Ichigo's body shook uncontrollably as he touched the blood on the floor...his parents blood. The memories of his mother and father clouded his mind, and Ichigo knew that there was only one person to blame for all this, one person who will surely pay for all the suffering he caused him, and he was going to make sure that the person who killed his parents was going to meet the same fate that he evilly bestowed on his parents...and that person was Sosuke Aizen. However, before Ichigo could seek out his revenge; there was a single question in his mind that needed answering. _

_"Hey," Ichigo asked Byakuya and Renji while his gaze never left the sight of his dead parents, "We're complete strangers who never met before, so...why did you try and save my parents?"_

_Silence filled the air at that moment, and since Renji lowered his head in sadness; Byakuya explained to Ichigo in a cold deep voice, "Because me and my friend also lost everything to Aizen," at this, Ichigo's eyes widened, "Like your mother and father...Aizen's hands bear the blood of our families too."_

_"And we're gonna do whatever it takes to put an end to Aizen's rein," Renji added furiously, as he clenched his fists until they were white, "Even if it costs us our lives, we will free the Seireitei from Aizen's deadly grasp."_

_After hearing all that Byakuya and Renji had to say about defeating Aizen, Ichigo smirked and asked them, "It seems that our ambitions are the same, so do you mind if I tag along with you in order to bring Aizen down?" _

_Shocked and surprised by Ichigo's offer, Renji said to Ichigo with raising an eyebrow in confusion, "Huh, you want to follow me and Master Byakuya in our quest to putting an end to Sosuke Aizen once and for all." _

_Ichigo nodded his head, and told Byakuya and Renji in all honesty as he clenched the hand that was soaked in his parents blood, "My parents may not have survived during Aizen's rein, but if nobody is willing to stand up to him...then other families will suffer the same painful events that we've experienced or worse."_

_Once again, Ichigo asked Byakuya and Renji with a red flame burning in the depths of his pure heart, "Please, I promise to do my best to help you overthrow Aizen no matter how long it takes, so can I come along with you two?" _

_Silence filled the air for the last time, and Byakuya said to Ichigo with a chuckle, "I admire your courage, someone with your courage has definately earned the honor of joining me and my friend on our quest."_

_And so it was, after burying Ichigo's parents in a decent burial ground; Byakuya, Renji, and Ichigo continued to live for that one goal in life...and vowed to kill Aizen together. _

_End of Flashback_

"We vowed to take Aizen down," Ichigo told Byakuya in a faint whisper, but loud enough for him to hear, "Together."

"That's right, this is what we trained for Byakuya," Renji added as he tried to convince Byakuya for the last time, "We'll fight, but only if you command it."

A familiar silence filled the air, until Byakuya's deep voice spoke as he retreated inside his hut, "If the two of you don't mind I'll be inside...getting dressed for the party; and I suggest you do the same," and he disappeared inside with a playful smirk on his face.

"Well, we tried," Renji and Ichigo sighed sadly, but suddenly, they recalled Byakuya's words and soon found themselves cheering happily while rushing off towards their huts to get dressed for the party.

Back in his hut, Byakuya stared out his window and towards the direction of Aizen's kingdom; and said to himself with a deadly aura surrounding his body, "Get ready Aizen, because your about to be visited by..._a mysterious unwanted masked guest_."

**_That's chapter 4 of the Masked Shinigami. Here it is, the n_****_ew update on "The Masked Shinigami," and many _****_more updates to come. The next chapter...its party time! Now that Byakuya, Renji, and Ichigo have invited themselves to Aizen's party only one thing is clear to them...tonight will be the evil kings downfall. Or is this Aizen's plot to lure the masked hero to the party and deal away with him instead? Who will fall at this party of darkness...Byakuya or Aizen? Or maybe something else will occur at this party...something nobody is sure to expect. In order to find out, continue to read "The Masked Shinigami" and I promise to make it worth your while, or at least try to make it enjoyable for you, my readers. :D_**


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